The blame game

Name withheld by request
I'm writing because, as a Cave Creek resident, I am outraged by the recent articles in which CCUSD administrators blame “community negativity” as a reason for ineffective leadership and turnover in regards to the recent turnover of Cave Creek administrators and board members.

As residents we are only empowered to do so much. Vote, volunteer and support our school systems the best we can. We do not have the power to make decisions that fall within the Board of Directors and administrators. We have never been entitled to make such decisions and never will. It is therefore very disappointing to hear, upon resignation, so many administrators blame the community for their lack of effectiveness.

Now district officials are painting the picture that the reason that so many leaders have left is due to the fact that they are very “in demand” and are moving up in the world. I find these statements not only to be false but also downright insulting. It would be refreshing if the Cave Creek School District took some responsibility for their choices in administrators, decisions and recent turnover. Why not be honest to the public? Why not say the recent turnover is due to the school district wanting to take things in a different direction and make positive changes?

The Board of Directors recent list of excuses for lack of performance is inexcusable. Blaming the community for their lack of effectiveness is incomprehensible. This is their biggest problem. No one seems to be accountable or able to take any responsibility for the decision making made in the recent years at Cave Creek. Have they forgotten that all of the residents who pay taxes pay their salary and have right to demand results? They are so busy trying to keep their jobs that they have forgotten to do their jobs. I suppose next week the board will blame their lack of performance on Global Warming and rising gas prices.
To all Board Members: “In the lack of leadership there is only chaos.”Back to Top

At the Day Labor Center ...

Brandy Baron | Phoenix
I'm with the group USA (United for a Sovereign America) and am one of the people still out at our local DLC, Mon. – Sat., 8 to 11 a.m., taking pictures of the people hiring and trying to get the word out on illegal immigration.

Last Monday morning we had one of the people going through the center pull up to us, jump out while pulling his gun and try to grab a camera away from one of our women while shoving that gun in her face! She wasn't about to give him the camera and the strap around her wrist attached to the camera kept it secure. I got a picture of him and his car. He gave up when he heard the other woman tell me to 'call 911'... I was already dialing. He took off and none of us were hurt, luckily. The police took our info and went into the DLC but I told them that the people in there wouldn't help because they were cheering the guy on when he pulled his gun!

It was just a perfect example of the mentality of those who support people who have entered our country illegally. It's also a perfect example of why we are still out there with our cameras and petitions. These people have got to be stopped!Back to Top

Scottsdale’s AAA bond ratings

Ray Torres | Scottsdale
Scottsdale clearly enjoys AAA bond rating issued by rating agencies. Bond investors have more than reasonable assurance that the city will not default on the bonds outstanding. Much of the credit must be bestowed on city management, not so much with the Mayor and council members. The financial acumen demonstrated by Craig Clifford, Financial Services General Manager and his staff are brilliant.

However, it’s troublesome to repeatedly hear from the Mayor that all is rosy and you cannot predict the future. Just ask Mr. Clifford how many “what if” scenarios he crunches ranging from severely pessimistic to cautiously optimistic and forecasting out many years. The 2008 economic conditions are not the same as 2007, and it’s not changing for the better. Scottsdale could be swept up in a city revenue nose dive.

So it is very irresponsible of the Mayor Manross, but just like her, to keep harping on we have no problems and we cannot predict the future; it’s an ostrich with its head in the sand mentality. Back to Top

Sanctuary Cities

Joseph Pasulka | Southport, North Carolina
San Francisco says that it offers sanctuary to illegal aliens because the illegals can then help solve crimes without fear of harassment or arrest.

If the entire state offers sanctuary to all criminals – not just illegal aliens – then California can count on help solving all crimes committed by all these criminals statewide.Back to Top

Open letter to Carefree Council

Geoff Orton | Carefree
I am writing this "open letter to the Carefree Town Council," as a few previous e-mails I sent directly, with suggestions or questions, never even received the courtesy of a reply. This won't do much good either, except possibly as a wake-up call to some Carefree residents who may not have thought about it.

I have been too ill to be able to attend any of the meetings regarding the idea of installing "gas lights" in the business area to supposedly encourage more tourists to visit.
My career was as an executive in two eastern state tourism development agencies. I spent more than 20 years in advertising, promotion and public relations to bolster those states' tourism business, which brought in billions of dollars of direct revenue, plus much more in the ripple effect of ancillary business that also benefited.

There are many things that can be done to encourage tourists to visit an area, but I can categorically state and guarantee, that installing a few ersatz gas lights will have absolutely no effect whatsoever. If, in their infinite wisdom, the members of the Council believe that anybody, especially in this day of high gas prices, will actually drive all the way to Carefree just to be overwhelmed by the extraordinary spectacle of gas lights, they are going to be deeply disappointed.

It must be remembered that there is no change in gas prices anticipated in the near future, and tourism is suffering as a result all over the world. That means there is more and more competition for the tourist dollar. With so many outstanding destinations for people in the Valley, tourists are naturally going to pick places to visit that provide a full day's entertainment of high quality. In other words, the most bang for the buck. If anybody thinks that people will drive the not-very-scenic Scottsdale Road all the way to Carefree to look at gas lights and the few stores here, and nothing else, believe me, it isn't going to happen. Use some common sense.

This goofy idea is pathetic enough, but to spend the huge amount of money proposed to purchase and install these things, is totally outrageous.

Polls over the years have consistently shown that the majority of our residents are not in favor of blatant commercialization, but want to keep the town as a quiet residential refuge Yet, despite this, our leaders seem to think that this magic step will somehow revitalize our Greater Downtown Carefree. Boy, are they deluded.

And to boot, they obviously do not believe in the free enterprise system. If these businesses don't have enough to offer to attract the clientele they feel is necessary, and can't flourish on their own, then they should either close or move to an area of the Valley that is busier. There is no reason why the residents of our fair and peaceful town should be forced to underwrite businesses that are not successful.

I recall the highly optimistic predictions that the redesign of the core a few years back would also bring in flocks of tourists, yet not only has that failed to happen, but as nearly as I can ascertain, there are fewer of them all the time. So, be cautious, Carefree citizens, to watch out for the hordes of tourists who be streaming in to view the lights. You may not be able to get to the post office due to the vast mobs of people, standing around, jaws dropping in awe, as they gaze at the amazing electric "gas" lights. Lights, by the way, that are not at all compatible with the western theme of the high Sonoran desert or have any other virtues to recommend them.Back to Top

Liberals only shoot the innocent

Roy Miller | Phoenix
The recent forcible taking of FLDS children from their parents in the Texas compound is only the most recent example of the harmful consequences of liberal philosophy. As a quick definition of “liberal” I am referring to the notion that all parents and most other members of the public (except government agents) are too stupid to care for themselves and that the government has a solution for every problem (and often solutions where there aren’t problems, as in the Texas case).

My favorite example of liberals’ willingness to shoot the innocent (or, at least, unsheathe the guns of government agents against the innocent) is the whole area of occupational licensing. Whether it is doctors or lawyers or real estate agents or barbers or cosmetologists (the list is endless and growing), the assumption is that their customers (all the rest of the people) are too stupid to make decisions for themselves and that they need to be protected by government. Since 99.9 percent of these professional people act properly, it is mostly innocent people who are harmed by these government regulations because these professionals are sometimes caught “out of compliance” for failing to file a form or failing to get the government mandated continuing education. Because of this fact, the licensing laws essentially act to enable government to shoot the innocent rather make any meaningful reduction of truly bad behavior.

On the other hand, when it comes to truly bad behavior such as criminals or terrorists, liberals are the first to whine about “excess punishment” of perpetrators or excessive use of the military with respect to our response to terrorism.

Big government is always justified as a help to the disadvantaged but, especially in the hands of liberals, it really mostly hurts innocent people. It is only when government is kept small (the libertarian/conservative approach) that innocent people are protected and the violent are punished.

Liberals need to stop shooting the innocent and remember the proper role for government.Back to Top

Speaking English

Arden Druce | Camp Verde
Has the federal government gone crazy? Why does it have an anti-English language policy? Last year it sued The Salvation Army for "illegal discrimination" because it asked its employees to speak English at work. Now the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is threatening private companies, local government offices, and charities with prosecution if they adopt English workplace rules. This is only one of many attacks on the English language.

Congressman Tom Price has introduced the "Common Sense English Act," H.R. 4464 in the House of Representatives. The bill would stop the EEOC from filing such lawsuits by adding one short paragraph to the l964 Civil Rights law. The paragraph says, "... it shall not be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require employees to speak English while engaged in work."

Our federal government has gone stark raving mad. It certainly doesn't represent the American people. This should be a wake-up call to all of us to realize that something is very wrong with the federal government. The foxes have taken over the chicken house.Back to Top

Re: Violence

Herb Natker | Cave Creek
I support the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms for our protection, but here's a perfect example on some idiot using his 2nd Amendment right to shove a gun in a protesters face. This gun was used to intimidate or perhaps injure or kill those who would seek to end the parade of illegals in our beloved country. I support legal immigration as my forefathers embraced when they entered at Ellis over 100 years ago, but I do not support the unregulated use of guns to threaten and intimidate us. Do you have any idea how we can continue to support the 2nd amendment and oppose illegal immigration without getting our heads blown off in the process?Back to Top

Bad grammer

Bob Hughes | Cave Creek
I just read your editorial about bad grammar. I too am appalled with all the bad grammar I hear every day, especially from our younger generation. One of my favorite bad grammar statements I hear almost every time I go to a checkout stand is:
"Did you want a bag?" Instead of "Would you like a bag?” I have corrected some of the checkout people and have gotten funny stares as if I was nuts!

Another one that I hear all the time from all layers of education is:
"Me and my brother" or "Me and my friend!” Instead of "My brother and I" or "My friend and I!!"

I hear all sorts of bad grammar on the TV news. Especially Channel 12. Just count the number of times you hear during a half hour news broadcast, the word "Yeah." Especially when an anchor turns a report over to a field reporter, invariably you will hear – "Yeah Mark" or "Yeah Lynn Sue" and then the person proceeds with the report. I never hear such abuse of the word "Yeah" on national news. I sent Channel 12 an e-mail about this some time ago but "Yeah" of course, I was ignored!

I could go on about all the bad grammar I hear. You should write an editorial with a list of bad grammar statements we hear all the time Don. It's time that those of us who were properly educated on how to use and speak the English language stand up and point out these abuses of the English language. I hear people from foreign countries speak the English language correctly all the time. You know Don, "Yeah," it must be our education system that is failing here!!Back to Top

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